A Long Tidal Feature Extending from a Low-Redshift Galaxy Revealed in Rubin Data Preview 1 Imaging

TL;DR

This paper reports the detection of a stellar stream in a low-redshift galaxy using Rubin Observatory data, showcasing the survey's ability to identify faint, extended structures in the universe.

Contribution

First detection of a low-redshift stellar stream in Rubin data, illustrating the observatory's potential for revealing low-surface-brightness galactic features.

Findings

Detected a 130 kpc long stellar stream at z=0.1

Measured the stream's stellar mass as 6x10^8 solar masses

Demonstrated Rubin's capability to find faint galactic substructures

Abstract

Using the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Data Preview 1 (DP1), we present the detection and photometric analysis of a stellar stream extending along the minor axis of a massive disk-galaxy, LEDA 751050, at a redshift of z = 0.1 in the Extended Chandra Deep Field-South (ECDFS). This feature appears to be an analog of the M31 Giant Stellar Stream, spanning around 130 kpc by 15 kpc, with an estimated stellar mass of M_* = 6x10^8 M_Sun, and a mean g-band surface brightness (SB) of mu_g = 28.6 mag/arcsec^2. This discovery demonstrates Rubin's ability to reveal low-SB substructures and foreshadows the future capabilities when the full Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) data set is actualized.